Death's Child
by AResidentGhost
Summary: Sequel to Dark Mirror. The daughter of Erik comes to Xavier's to learn control and honor a legacy which cannot be denied. AU


She hoped that by changing her name _and_ using the aliases she had brainstormed, she had slipped under _their_ scrutiny. After graduating from Xavier's School for Gifted Children, she had returned to her "backwoods" hometown in upstate New York, where, for all they knew, she was just exceptionally smart. They did not know that she herself was a mutant, not even her parents knew her secret, they just thought for the most part that her two missing fingers on her hands was just a congenital birth defect and not given much thought. Thus, when she found she was pregnant, and her parents forced her to tell them who it was that got her pregnant, she had no choice but to tell them. After finding out that she was secretly engaged to the deceased X-Man code-named "Azrael", they became enraged. She was forced to flee their prejudices and hate, constantly fearful that they would follow her and kill her out of shame or try to turn her in to the authorities. But not just because of that did she ultimately flee the country—she did not want the inevitable media attention her pregnancy would garner. So first she fled to her old school, where she met the father of her unborn child, to pay respect to his memory and, in a way, that he will always live on, and also to leave contact information with some of the professors there, particularly the head of the school. In a quiet and somber visit to his lonely gravestone, she told him, though he was dead, of the family he would have had if only he had survived. _It was too bad,_ she often thought to herself; _that despite his great gift of healing, he could not, in the end, use it on himself._ And then she would weep tears of pure, unadulterated sorrow for her lonely, dead fiancée.

When things became unsuitable for her to stay there—which was not very long after she had arrived, she fled once again. Away from her so-called family, as she _knew_ she was orphaned at an early age and taken in by some of her incredibly distant relatives—even though they would never admit it—and raised as their child, albeit a bit misshapen. Because of this, they seldom let her live her own life, as they were afraid that word might get out about her "uniqueness" as they would often term her physical mutation. They had, of course, let her go on to school at the college level of Xavier's School for the Gifted when one of their representatives had showed up and offered to pay the tuition with a grant as she was, in their words, "an incredibly brilliant and unique student".

Yes, she fled from the relative comforts of her second home, where she had, for once, felt like she actually _belonged_ and was a real part of a family, so to speak. Her running took her to New York, where she had purchased tickets to France, acting on a secret that her love had let on before he died. His words were thus: "_If anything should ever happen to me; or you need a place to go in safety or to find me; take this ring. It will lead you to where you need to go if you believe in it. Only if you believe will it work. Head to France first, to ancient Brittany, near the sea. Head to Perros-Guirrec, you will find answers there that will help you to get to where you need to go. Remember me, _mon anger adieux."

She had successfully arrived in France, at the Charles DeGaulle Airfield, and eventually made her way to ancient and fabled Brittany. Many recognized the seal set into the ring, but few would tell her any information, saying, "That land belongs to the dead! The master of that land's family was cursed! Cursed by the Devil incarnate himself!" and given warnings like, "Do not go there—the monster will eat you!" or "You will die if you go." This, of course, only piqued her curiosity and strengthened her will and determination. She _would_ find the place and the answers he spoke of or die trying. A traveling folk-rock band was the only ones who offered to help—without the promise of money and that proved useful.

She made it to the manor house, and welcomed immediately when she showed them the ring. However, they welcomed her because they thought she had finally destroyed or captured their hidden freak, the nephew they tried to hide for so long. Or else one of their sons had died and she was coming with such bad news. They had asked her where she had gotten the gold band, and she responded that she had received it from her beloved before he died, saying that it would give her answers to his past life. Then they asked what his name was. Casually, she told them "Erik".

At this they had blanched and exchanged hushed whispers between themselves. After that, they gave her a key to a house in Paris and told her to leave and never return nor bother them again, lest they call the police.

She fled that house to Paris, as she was so rudely told to do, where she managed to come into actual ownership of a glorious estate in the heart of the city. She was set up for life, but otherwise had no money, so she took up a job in a café to pay her utilities and other expenses. After a while, someone had noticed that she tended to doodle in her spare time, at other times she would write. A journalist who came in every day, who quickly had become her friend and even attend the birth of her child, eventually managed to get her to try to sell her drawings to some of the papers and publish her poems. She became quite well known in Paris for her pieces, which were at times witty, and at other times, could bring you to tears. Eventually, she had established herself enough that she quite her job at the café without worry over finances.


End file.
